Confronting Chronic Pain ─ A Pain Doctor's Guide to Relief

This comprehensive guide is designed to help everyone whose days are filled with chronic pain—the kind of pain that truly is a disease unto itself. Where does chronic pain come from, and why doesn’t it go away? Dr. Steven H. Richeimer, an eminent voice in the field of pain management, answers these and other fundamental questions about chronic pain. Board certified in pain medicine, anesthesiology, and psychiatry, he knows that the stress of persistent pain quickly takes a toll on the body and the mind. And he has helped thousands of people reduce their pain and reclaim their lives.

In Confronting Chronic Pain, Dr. Richeimer discusses what causes pain in such disorders as arthritis, cancer, fibromyalgia, chronic headache, and back pain—and describes how to get relief. He provides clear and up-to-date information about pain medications, exercise and nutrition, injections and neurostimulators, and complementary therapies. He also explains the many approaches to managing the social and emotional aspects of pain.

Understanding that chronic pain affects the spirit, he offers seven spiritual tools for moving beyond pain; understanding that chronic pain affects the whole family, he has created an action plan for family harmony; understanding the emotional component of people in pain, he helps them solve the chronic pain puzzle.

"Just learn to live with it" is not a satisfactory response to someone living with chronic pain. Dr. Richeimer’s compassionate and holistic approach can help soften the harsh edges of lives marred by pain and provide hope for the future.

Steven H. Richeimer, M.D., is an associate professor in the Departments of Anesthesiology and Psychiatry and chief of the Division of Pain Medicine at the University of Southern California. He is also director of Pain Management at Norris Cancer Hospital, Los Angeles. Kathy Steligo is a freelance writer specializing in business and health topics and is coauthor of Confronting Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer and The Breast Reconstruction Guidebook: Issues and Answers from Research to Recovery, both published by Johns Hopkins.